It’s growing season for birds, too
Migration and nesting are under way. Here’s what to expect and how you may be able to help.
May is the month when many birds migrate from their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central and South America to North America.
Many will settle in New Mexico and join our year-round resident birds in raising a family. This is an exciting time of year to watch your backyard birds.
The main focus in a bird’s life is reproduction. This includes: finding a mate, establishing a nesting territory, building a nest and raising young. Birds time their nesting in the spring and summer months when there is an abundance of high protein foods, like insects, to feed to their young.
Nest building efforts are different for every species. Some birds like the bushtit can take up to fifty days to build a nest, while robins complete their nest in four-to-seven days. Most birds do not nest in a nesting box but rather build their nest in trees, shrubs and on the ground.
Man-made nesting boxes are available, but not all nesting boxes on the market are suitable or safe for birds. I suggest referencing the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website for accurate information on what you can do to help nesting birds in your area.
Once the eggs are laid the parent bird sits on the eggs to keep them warm. This is called incubation. Birds can spend up to 23 hours a day incubating.
The parents will often take turns incubating the eggs.
The female robin however, does all the incubating. She spends about 75% of the day and all night sitting on the eggs. About once an hour she takes about 15 minutes to turn the eggs and fly away to forage for food and to drink and bathe.
Once hatched, some bird species like quail are precocial, which means they are fully feathered with eyes open and know how to feed themselves. Precocial birds rely on their parents mainly for protection and warmth.
Most birds are born altricial. These are young born naked and helpless, and need total care from their parents for many days or weeks prior to leaving the nest.
Fledging is when the young bird leaves the nest. Often young birds leave the nest before having mastered the ability to fly. When we see a young, feathered bird unable to fly it is tempting to rescue it, but it is best to leave them alone. The parent birds will continue to feed and protect the fledgling until it is able to fly and fend for itself.
Mary Schmauss is the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Albuquerque. A lifelong birder and author of “For the Birds: A Month-by-Month Guide to Attracting Birds to your Backyard.”